Senate Speaker Lusaka, Ngirici, Ruiru MP set to defect to Jubilee from UDA

The Deputy President William Ruto’s led United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party is facing political haemorrhage as key allies are set to defect to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party later today as party hopping deadline lapses tomorrow.

Newsline has established that Ruto’s staunch supporters and supposed UDA point men among them Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka, Kirinyaga Women Representative Wangui Ngirici and Ruiru Member of Parliament Simon Ng’ang’a are expected at Jubilee headquarters after divorcing Ruto.

“Yes we are expecting many leaders and aspirants who are likeminded and believe in the ideology of bringing people together.” A senior Jubilee party official said.

They are expected to be received by party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni and Jubilee Director of Elections Kanini Kega.

According to the Elections Act and the Political Parties Act, tomorrow is the deadline for party hopping when all registered parties are supposed to present to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties their membership lists.

The office has set March 26 as the final day for the various political outfits that wish to field candidates in the 2022 General Election to submit their list of aspirants for onward transmission to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Once the lists are handed over to the Registrar of Political Parties office boss Anne Nderitu, a member will be legally denied the opportunity to move parties to vie for any seat in the August elections unless they become independent candidates.

The deadline for one to become independent is May 9.

Accordingly, the Elections Act provides that IEBC should have the parties’ membership register 120 days to the elections (by April 9).

Before then, the law requires the Registrar to have the registers 14 days before IEBC gets them.

Effectively, tomorrow March 26, 2022 is the due date Nderitu’s office should have the lists before they transfer them to the IEBC.

The presidential contest is shaping up as a two horse race between Azimio La Umoja Presidential candidate Raila Odinga and Ruto of Kenya Kwanza coalition.